Quality Manager - Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing
Position Overview
A precision aerospace and defense manufacturing organization is seeking an experienced Quality Manager to lead its Quality Management System and quality operations within a highly regulated manufacturing environment.
This individual will own the effectiveness and continuous improvement of the site's AS9100-certified Quality Management System, ensure compliance with customer and regulatory requirements, and strengthen quality performance across manufacturing, inspection, calibration, supplier quality, and nonconformance processes.
The successful candidate will combine hands-on quality systems expertise with practical, cross-functional leadership and the ability to work effectively with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, customers, and external auditors.
Engagement Details
- Location: Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area
- Work Arrangement: Hybrid, with regular onsite presence required
- Local Support: Periodic work at other company locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area may be required
- Engagement: Contract-to-hire
- Conversion: Expected to convert to full-time employment at or before the six-month mark, based on business needs and mutual fit
- Start Date: Flexible based on candidate availability
- Compensation: $80-$100 per hour
- Engagement Options: W-2 or C2C through the consultant's own LLC
- W-2 Benefits: Access to medical benefits, PTO, and 401(k)
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, maintain, and continuously improve the site's AS9100-certified Quality Management System, including quality policies, procedures, work instructions, records, and document-control practices.
- Ensure ongoing compliance with applicable aerospace and defense standards, FAA and DoD expectations, customer-specific requirements, regulatory obligations, and internal quality objectives.
- Plan, coordinate, and lead internal audits, customer audits, and third-party certification or surveillance audits.
- Ensure audit findings are documented, addressed, and closed effectively and within required timelines.
- Lead corrective and preventive action activities and structured root-cause analysis for audit findings, nonconformances, customer complaints, process failures, and recurring quality issues.
- Verify the effectiveness and sustainability of corrective actions.
- Oversee quality assurance and inspection activities across incoming, in-process, and final-product stages, with an emphasis on conformance, traceability, and consistent execution.
- Ensure product and process nonconformances are identified, contained, documented, evaluated, and resolved through disciplined processes.
- Oversee calibration controls and measurement-system practices to maintain accuracy, traceability, availability, and compliance.
- Partner with Supply Chain to monitor supplier quality performance, investigate supplier-related nonconformances, and drive appropriate corrective actions.
- Work closely with Operations and Engineering to improve product quality, manufacturing process capability, risk controls, and consistency while reducing scrap, rework, and preventable defects.
- Develop, monitor, and report quality KPIs, including scrap, rework, customer complaints, audit performance, nonconformance trends, and corrective-action closure and effectiveness.
- Establish priorities for the quality function, provide functional leadership and coaching, reinforce accountability, and promote a culture of quality ownership.
- Serve as a credible quality representative in customer and regulatory interactions, communicating issues clearly and ensuring responsive follow-through.
Required Qualifications
- At least 5 years of progressive quality leadership experience within aerospace and defense manufacturing.
- Demonstrated hands-on ownership and management of an AS9100-certified Quality Management System.
- Strong working knowledge of aerospace and defense quality expectations, including applicable FAA, DoD, customer-specific, and regulatory requirements.
- Proven experience leading internal, customer, and third-party audits, including preparation, response, corrective action, and closure.
- Demonstrated success leading CAPA programs, root-cause analysis, problem-solving, and continuous-improvement initiatives.
- Practical understanding of manufacturing quality assurance, inspection, calibration, nonconformance management, supplier quality, and document control.
- Ability to translate quality data into clear priorities and actionable improvements using KPIs and trend analysis.
- Strong leadership, judgment, organization, and cross-functional communication skills.
- Ability to work regularly onsite in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and periodically support other local company facilities as needed.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or a related discipline.
- Experience in precision manufacturing, machining, or other high-mix, tight-tolerance production environments serving highly regulated customers.
- Experience strengthening or scaling quality practices within a new, growing, or multi-site manufacturing operation.
About Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry unleashes potential in people, teams, and organizations. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers. To learn more, please visit Korn Ferry at www.Kornferry.com
